Bronx, N.Y. - In collaboration with Fordham University's partnership with the New York Giants, the Fordham Athletic Department provided a new experience for the Ram student-athletes.
 
While the pandemic has reduced a few of the initiatives of the partnership, the Athletics Department, in conjunction with the Social Justice Task Force and SportStrata, Fordham's sports psychology partner, created a unique event for all student-athletes, coaches, and staff. 
 
Last week, Dr. Lani Lawrence, Director of Wellness and Clinical Services of the New York Giants, and Dr. Jonathan Fader, Director of Performance Coaching at SportStrata, joined almost 100 student-athletes, coaches, and staff members for an hour-long open discussion about the importance of mental health and wellness as well as practices to deal with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. Jade Dyer-Kennedy, a junior on the Fordham track & field team, served as the moderator.
 
"The opportunity to guide this conversation was an honor", said Dyer-Kennedy. "For me, acknowledging mental health in athletics and in everyday life is crucial, but for many it's a neglected area. After concluding the meeting having personally received a ton of noteworthy information from our wonderful panelists, I was able to hear reflections from fellow student-athletes that really made the experience worth it!"
 
"We were thrilled to offer this experience to our student-athletes and athletics department," said Fordham interim director of athletics Ed Kull. "We know our student-athletes have so many commitments and responsibilities, and paired with the difficulty of the pandemic, along with the racial injustices plaguing our society, it's more important than ever to support them. In following our Jesuit tenet of cura personalis, we are looking forward to providing even more events and resources to continue to care for our student-athletes and staff."
 
To learn more about other resources provided to our student-athletes, click here or follow along with the T.E.A.M Fordham Twitter.